tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434701420960162731.post3041985928696958276..comments2015-03-02T10:32:24.088+00:00Comments on The British GENES Blog (GEnealogy News &amp; EventS): Review - Tracing Your British Indian AncestorsChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434701420960162731.post-59550729227987032872012-05-01T02:06:50.179+01:002012-05-01T02:06:50.179+01:00Chris,
Great subject about the East Indian Compan...Chris, <br />Great subject about the East Indian Company.<br />I have almost finished reading a book titled <br />&quot;For All the Tea in China&quot;, Author, Sarah Rose c 2010<br />Great read,and....tah, tah...gives credit to Robert Fortune, a Scottish gardener, botanist and plant hunter dispatched to China undercover as a spy, in 1848 on an extraordinary quest for the prized most special tea plants to bring them to India to grow them there. Great history, etc...and of course he was knighted to a Sir, for his contributions to our most favourite drink....a good cuppa tea.<br /><br />Cheers.<br />Cathie ChristieCathie Christienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434701420960162731.post-72845500178382981362012-04-28T20:03:06.854+01:002012-04-28T20:03:06.854+01:00Good response, Chris! Apologies for being censorio...Good response, Chris! Apologies for being censorious. Take it as a back-handed compliment to your usually encyclopaedic knowledge of Scottish history and genealogy :-)<br /><br />In fact, previous blogposts show you *did* know about the Company&#39;s links to the Darien scheme: http://goo.gl/tEFAM and http://goo.gl/zDwFZ. You just forgot you knew what you knew! <br /><br />I wonder whether anyone has written about the Company and Darien from a genealogical perspective? Given the numbers who perished or were impoverished, it would make an excellent subject for a book.Caroline Gurneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977450933277241692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434701420960162731.post-26169382180727891552012-04-28T13:46:54.999+01:002012-04-28T13:46:54.999+01:00Sorry to have shocked you Caroline. I had not twig...Sorry to have shocked you Caroline. I had not twigged that the company behind Darien also had interests in India, and that they were one and the same. I&#39;m afraid I only know what I know, but I do try to add to what I know every day. Will try to do better!<br /><br />I hope you enjoy the book, it is a great read.<br /><br />ChrisChris Patonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05073425769475523109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-434701420960162731.post-62418185223063890972012-04-28T13:32:28.706+01:002012-04-28T13:32:28.706+01:00Thanks for the review, Chris. I&#39;m a big fan of...Thanks for the review, Chris. I&#39;m a big fan of Emma Jolly and have been waiting eagerly for this to be published, as I have many Scottish ancestors who made their careers in India. <br /><br />I&#39;m also a big fan of yours, Chris, so I hope you won&#39;t mind me saying I was shocked at your admission that you had never heard of The Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies. The failure of the Company&#39;s Darien Scheme was a hugely important event in Scottish history and in the national psychology. It also has great significance for Scottish genealogy. <br /><br />On Scotland&#39;s People, do the free Wills and Testaments search leaving everything blank except the Description field. Type &quot;Company of Scotland&quot; into that and it brings up 464 wills and testaments for people connected to the Company. Not only did the Darien Scheme bankrupt many of Scotland&#39;s landed class, it also killed off their sons, with significant consequences for inheritance and the continuation of family lines.<br /><br />Anyone lucky enough to trace their Scottish ancestry back to the late 17th / early 18th century needs to have the Company of Scotland and the Darien Scheme at the forefront of their minds, as it may be a significant factor in explaining the fortunes of their family at that time.Caroline Gurneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977450933277241692noreply@blogger.com